Active Windows - Team #6

Developing the next generation of active homes

Our Problem

With climate change becoming ever more relevant, engineers from every discipline are scrambling to combat the issue. Through methods such as green energy technologies and reducing reliance on fossil fuels, our society has made significant progress. However, there is still much work to be done. The average home presents opportunities for countless improvements in energy conservation. In particular, heating and cooling of homes present the opportunity for many inefficiencies to be addressed, including the lack of automation of residential climate control. For instance, to account for temperature variances, an individual may choose to run power-hungry central air systems as opposed to simply making use of natural resources like opening a window to cool a home. However, a sufficiently smart home automation system could replace human negligence and laziness and utilize alternative energy saving options that take advantage of the existing features of homes. 

The Team

Jonathan Clifford
Coordinator,AWS
 & Android Developer
Frank Cremonini
CANBus Communication
Griffin Manns
Stepper Motor Module & Altium PCB Lead
Connor Moore
Network Master Controller & Budget
Professor Arman Pouraghily
Faculty Advisor
Mr. Glenn Weinreb
Manhattan2 CTO & Contact

System Specifications

  • At a high level: A user utilizes an Android Phone Application that will be able to actuate any window in their home, no matter where they may be. 
  • The Active Window System consists of a Network Master Controller, IoT/Phone Application, and the Motor Module. The system will meet or exceed the following specifications:
  • Capable of receiving signals from Amazon Web Services (AWS) for direct communication between the user and the rest of the system.
  • Capable of transmitting commands from the Android Application through AWS to the Network Master Controller that drives a stepper motor driver, which in turn adjusts a window.
  • User interaction via an Android Phone Application that transmits data via AWS to the controllers. This Application will include a user interface to control and monitor window status.
  • The Motor Module’s size is at least 14cm x 8cm in order to maximize installation in a home.
  • DC Stepper Motor and Driver, will utilize a 24V power supply and use a pulley system solution that can adjust the window via commands. This pulley system will physically lower and raise the test window once it receives the proper command.
  • In addition, there will also be a manual override switch for the test window that is capable of bypassing the Android Application and will raise or lower the window when it is flipped.
  • In the event of external network failure, the Android Application is capable of sending commands to the Network Master Controller if they are on the same network. 

Slides

September, 2020
Preliminary Design Review
November, 2020
Midway Design Review
April, 2021
Comprehensive Design Review
April, 2021
Final Project   Review

Hardware & Software Block Diagrams

Hardware Block Diagram
Software Block Diagram

Final Report

Video Demonstrations At Key Milestones

Demonstration of end-to-end system for CDR

Demonstration of the final system for FPR

GitHub Repository

  • You can find the entirety of the source code for our three subsystems (Android Application, Network Master Controller, & Motor Module) here.  This website's source code can be found here.

Contact

sdp21team6(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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